The Interstitium and Our Addiction to Hormones

To summarize what the interstitium is, it is a recently discovered “organ” loosely described as the fluid found in the spaces around cells, surrounding the intercellular matrix, which as we know is responsible for holding us together to a degree. After doing some research on this so called organ, I started to call it “The highway for pathogens” because that is basically what it is.

In fact, we only know it exists, because in another attempt to study cancer and why cancer cells move around the way they do, another part of the cell was lit under the microscope which was not looked at previously, simply because it was not visible in the past. And nobody was looking for it.

Anyway, as a said, this strange organ helps absolutely ANYTHING move around the body at record speed, including cancer cells and pathogens, which would explain why cells are hijacked so quickly and easily by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and so on, the list is infinite.

I personally think that the interstitium is key in anything related to aging and disease, and needs to be seriously looked at and considered. I also wonder why we even evolved to have such an organ to begin with, as the cons seem to outweigh the pros. It could have been genetic tampering in the past, who knows. Maybe with the intention to shorten the lifespan of a human.

But anyway, moving on to hormones. As we all know, the body declines, once hormone levels decline, this is seen more extremely in women than in men after menopause and generally why this occurs is because hormones are like a drug for the human body that it forgets how to live without once/if they decrease - once we go through puberty, when our hormone levels go up, while in childhood of course we do not experience this at all hence there are no strange fluctuations.

I hypothesize, that the functions of the interstitium play some rose in the decline (or on the contrary, puberty) of hormones, and the general lifespan on a human being, since it transports anything very quickly across the body to our cells. The interstitium also allows for bacteria, fungi etc. to get around the body very quickly and consume resources initially meant for our cells, causing our cells to be in a state of deficit and lack.

I also have to mention, that our bodies are addicted (and in an unhealthy codependent relationship) to a lot of microscopic things, like I have mentioned in a previous post on bacteria. I think we need to return to a state of sovereignty and self sufficiency.

Any thoughts?

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From Perplexity:

What are some diseases that could spread through the interstitium

Perplexity

The interstitium could play a role in the spread of various diseases, including:

  1. Cancer: Cancer cells could travel through the interstitium, which could help explain the spread of cancer throughout the body
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  2. Other diseases that spread through normal signals: A study conducted at NYU Grossman School of Medicine found that normal signals and other diseases may spread through the interstitium
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  3. Diseases that affect vital tissues: The interstitium acts as a shock absorber for vital tissues, which could help protect them from damage caused by diseases
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  4. Diseases affecting the skin: The interstitium is found just below the skin’s surface, and could play a role in skin diseases
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  5. Diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract and urinary bladder: The interstitium is found in the submucosa of the viscera, including the gastrointestinal tract and urinary bladder
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  6. Diseases affecting the lungs: The interstitium is found in the bronchial tree of the lungs
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  7. Diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system: The interstitium is found in the fascial planes of the musculoskeletal system
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How was the interstitium discovered

Perplexity

The interstitium was discovered by Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center medics Dr David Carr-Locke and Dr Petros Benias while investigating a patient’s bile duct, searching for signs of cancer
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. They noticed cavities that did not match any previously known human anatomy, and approached New York University pathologist Dr Neil Theise to ask for his expertise
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. The researchers found that layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments, which they termed the “interstitium”
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. The interstitium had previously gone unnoticed despite being one of the largest organs in the human body
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. Scientists have known about the interstitium for a long time, but they thought it was much denser, almost solid
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. That’s because the way they looked at it – slicing it on fixed slides and seeing it under a microscope – drained all the fluid from the spaces
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. A new method of looking at it within living tissue, called probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy, allowed the researchers to see the interstitium in its natural state
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interstitium definition

Perplexity

The interstitium is a fluid-filled space that exists between a structural barrier, such as a cell membrane or the skin, and internal structures, such as organs, including muscles and the circulatory system
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. The fluid in this space is called interstitial fluid, which comprises water and solutes and drains into the lymph system
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. The non-fluid parts of the interstitium are predominantly collagen types I, III, and V, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans, such as hyaluronan and proteoglycans that are cross-linked to form a honeycomb-like reticulum
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. The interstitium is found in the submucosae of visceral organs, the dermis, superficial fascia, and perivascular adventitia, and is supported by a collagen bundle lattice
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. The interstitium is also known as an interstitial space within a tissue or organ
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. Specifically, it refers to the tissue between the pulmonary alveoli and the bloodstream
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. Researchers claim that the interstitium should be considered a new “organ” and that these spaces may play a major part in a lot of what goes on in the body
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. The interstitium acts as a kind of shock absorber for the body, and it is found in tissue from the lungs and aorta, the digestive tract and bladder, in the skin, and in many other spots
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. The interstitium is composed mainly of collagen types I, III, and V, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans, which are mechanically entangled and cross-linked to form a gel-like reticulum
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. These large polymeric molecules are synthesized by fibroblasts and released into the interstitial space
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. The gel-like properties of the interstitium limit the availability of free water for fluid flow, although rivulets of free fluid exist within the space
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. The compliance characteristics of the interstitium vary with hydration state and are of great importance in determining the hydrostatic forces operating across the capillary and lymphatic walls and thus fluid movements across these endothelial cell membranes
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How does the discovery of the interstitium change our understanding of the human body

Perplexity

The discovery of the interstitium changes our understanding of the human body in several ways:

  1. It reveals a new organ that was previously unknown, which is one of the largest organs in the human body
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  2. It challenges the previous understanding of the interstitium as simply dense connective tissue, revealing that it is actually a complex series of interconnected, fluid-filled compartments
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  3. It suggests that the interstitium could be a fundamental force in driving cancer metastasis
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  4. It offers a biological explanation for the reported efficacy of techniques such as acupuncture
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  5. It may help scientists better understand the impact of diseases such as cancer on the body
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  6. It acts as a kind of shock absorber for the body, protecting body tissues from damage
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  7. It is found in tissue from the lungs and aorta, the digestive tract and bladder, in the skin, and in many other spots, all places that expand and contract, where a “shock absorber” is important to protect tissue
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  8. It is a series of fluid-filled spaces in tissue that are connected throughout the body, which may play a major part in a lot of what goes on in the body
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Are there any current clinical trials investigating the role of the interstitium in disease prevention or treatment

Perplexity

There are currently some clinical trials investigating the role of the interstitium in disease prevention or treatment. Here are some examples:

  1. The DeSScipher project is an observational trial investigating the optimal management of systemic sclerosis, which includes the treatment and prevention of progression of interstitial disease
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  2. Clinical trials aimed at developing new treatments for interstitial lung disease are ongoing at Yale University
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  3. A clinical trial at Mayo Clinic is assessing the safety and tolerability of pirfenidone for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease
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However, there is currently limited research on the interstitium, and more studies are needed to determine its function and how it affects the rest of the body
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